DOH to hire 857 health workers to help fight COVID-19 in Metro Manila

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) will hire 857 health professionals to bolster the manpower of hospitals at the forefront of the country’s fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

In his third weekly report to Congress on the use of his additional powers to address the COVID-19 crisis, President Rodrigo Duterte said the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) had approved the request of the DOH to hire an 857 contract-of-service (COS) workers to be deployed in different hospitals in Metro Manila.

The additional health workers will be deployed to the Lung Center of the Philippines, the Philippine General Hospital, and Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center.

The monthly cost for the additional workers will be around P35.823 million, chargeable against the available released allotment for the DOH under the 2020 budget, Duterte said.

The government is set to hire people for the following posts:

• 82 Medical Officer III
• 267 Nurse II
• 35 Radiologic Technologist I
• 85 Respiratory Therapist I
• 118 Ward Assistant I
• 30 Medical Equipment Technician I
• 204 Nursing Attendant II, and
• 36 Administrative Aide IV (ambulance drivers)

On Monday afternoon, the Department of Health reported 284 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the country’s total to 4,932. Of that number, 315 patients have died and  242 were able to recover.